​Volunte​ering

Volunteers make an enormous contribution before, during and after natural disasters and other emergencies in NSW. Without these volunteers many people may have lost their lives, their homes or have taken much longer to get back on their feet after being involved in a natural disaster or other emergency.

Volunteers can be involved in directly dealing with the emergency through roles such as firefighting, rescue or storm recovery, or through important support roles like catering, communications and transport.

How and where ca​​n you vol​​unteer

A list of volunteer opportunities are listed below. You can contact an agency directly, or go to the Office of Volunteering for information on these and other organisations.

You should become a volunteer before an emergency

Becoming a volunteer should occur before an emergency happens - you will be contacting the organisation at a time when they have time to answer your questions, evaluate your request and offer training. During an event they may not have time to distract resources from where they are most needed.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) relies on volunteer fire fighters. The RFS has over 70,000 volunteers across NSW who attend bush fires and other emergencies. There is a role for almost everyone, from firefighting to communications, community engagement, logistics or aviation support.

Fire & Rescue NSW relies on over 7,100 volunteers who form the Community Fire Unit program. This program trains and equips residents of communities in bushfire prone areas to prepare their homes and reduce bushfire risk. The 577 Community Fire Units also assist with ember extinguishment following a bushfire.

The NSW Ambulance works with over 130 Honorary Ambulance Officers who, along with paid staff, provide first aid to the sick and injured as well as first aid response to incidents in remote areas of NSW.

Volunteers in Policing (VIPs) provide a range of administrative voluntary tasks which are not competitive with established police roles. Around 800 VIPs perform duties at 120 locations across the state. VIPs assist Police in victim support, customer service, supporting witnesses in attending court and in the promotion of crime prevention initiatives including maintenance of local community registers.